Kidish
Not to be confused with Kidishi or Kidishi (planet). Kidish (Σıᴅız / kee-ᴅᴇᴇsʜ) is the most widely spoken language on Kidishi, spoken by nearly 100% of canids. Kidish is the official language of every city-state and most tribal subsidiaries. Most of the language has been translated to English, allowing for a better understanding of the language. History Origins The origins of Kidish are unknown. Due to its wide distribution, the language likely evolved from one of the first languages created by canids. Its origins likely related to the human traces on Kidishi, which include several individual written languages such as English and Russian, since the written language includes Cyrillic- and Latin-like characters. It is unclear whether spoken or written language came first. Most of the phonetics in Kidish are limited to the capabilities of a canine jaw, tongue, and larynx, though the language developed more complex sounds over time. The written language involves some letters similar to human texts left behind, such as books, signs, labels, and posters, suggesting that the language took heavy inspiration from them. The letters are highly angular and initially contained no curves, as canids originally carved the language with their claws, a method in which straight lines are significantly quicker and easier. Language Split Around Kidish year 1950, the language of Kidish undertook major adjustments to improve the phonetics and grammar of the language. The most significant change after the split was the shortening of Kidish words. Phonology and alphabet The alphabet of Kidish contains fifteen letters, two which are circumstantial letters ("≡" and "ɴ"), and one which is a duplicate letter ("ѧ"). One letter ("ı") contributes to nearly 50% of the language. Three letters (excluding "ѧ") are considered vowels, though one often behaves like a consonant ("ᴧ"). Phonetically, Kidish is very simple. Consonant sounds never differ (except through dialects), and vowels only differ when placed next to other vowels. A human can pronounce Kidish, but due to biological differences, their speech will sound different. Still, if a human and canid were to meet, and if both could understand Kidish, they would likely understand each other. Kidish words usually stress the second-to-last syllable of the word. Most exceptions to this rule are certain three-syllable words in which each syllable is stressed, such as "Kidishi". Below are three charts containing each Kidish character, unicode characters similar to them, approximate Latin equivalents to each letter, and approximate human pronunciations. Each Kidish letter is displayed in uppercase and lowercase when available. * "ᴧ" is rarely seen without another vowel. See the "Special phonetic exceptions" chart. Pronunciation only changes in the circumstances that the Kidish letters match a pair of letters in the below chart. Vowels are always pronounced in order; "ııı" would be pronounced as "ıı-ı", as opposed to "ı-ıı". * "ᴧᴜ" is an alternate spelling of "ᴧıᴜ" used by some dialects. "ᴧᴜ" is pronounced like "ᴧ" + "ᴜ", while "ᴧᴜı" is pronounced like "ᴧ" + "ᴜı". Grammar Kidish grammar is relatively simple. Its structure is somewhat similar to Germanic structure. Canids rarily stray from a basic sentence structure in which the subject begins the sentence, followed directly by the verb. All verbs end in "ᴜ". All other words end in "ı", with the exception of iushurisies. Either may also end with an additional "≡" or "ɴ". Verbs take two forms: singular and plural. If the subject is singular, then the verb is singular. Else, the verb is plural. Neither differ between the singular and plural forms of a word with the exception of the "≡" at the end of plural words. Infinitive forms of verbs are singular forms preceding a "ɴ". For example, the phrase "to run" translates to "ıƹıгᴜɴ". Similarly, all possessive nouns end in "ɴ". Kidish does not differentiate between "a" and "an" and does not have different forms of "the". Words beginning sentences and proper nouns are capitalized in Kidish. Some dialects also capitalize common nouns. Pronouns are never capitalized, including singular pronouns, unless they start a sentence. Dialects and varieties Kidish varies depending on dialect. Due to geological barriers, eastern Kidishi and western Kidishi speak significantly different dialects. Below, "western Kidish" also includes central Kidishi, which does not vary as much from the west. Many dialects, especially Eastern dialects, omit articles like "a" and "the" altogether. Eastern and western dialects treat possessive nouns very differently. Western Kidish places the possessive noun before the other noun (for example, rıғıɴ ıƹı, "wolf's fur"). Eastern Kidish places the possessive noun after the other (for example, ıƹı rıғıɴ, "fur wolf's", which essentially translates to "the wolf's fur"). In both cases, the possessive noun still ends in "ɴ". Eastern dialects do not add "≡" to verbs. Eastern dialects also may omit an "ı" that appears between an "ᴧ" and an "ᴜ". Punctuation varies between regions. Some regions close their sentences with a character similar to a right bracket (〉), while others copy written punctuation by closing their sentences, though with a floating dot (·) rather than a period. Interrogative sentences end with a character similar to a right parenthesis in the former variation and with a floating c-like character (ᵓ) in the latter variation. Most dialects do not differentiate questions from statements except by tones. The Kidish equivalent to "Where are you?", for example, would translate to "You are where?", spoken with an inquisitive tone. This tone may include an elevating pitch and expressions such as a tilted head. In regions where the verb precedes the noun, canids write sentences with declarative punctuation, even if the sentence is interrogative. Body language As well as spoken and written aspects, Kidish also includes expressions as part of the language. Canids pay great attention to facial expressions as well as body posture and tail movements as a part of their language. Specific details do not translate to specific messages. For example, folding one's ears does not translate to something different depending on the angle. Eastern wolves also focus on contact body language, such as licking and bumping, even toward strangers. Western wolves in the far west do this as well. Due to their biological differences, a canine will generally ignore body language when communicating with a feline. Iushurisies An iushurisi (ıᴜzᴜrıƹı, lit. "break word" or "broken word") is a word that does not follow the standard spelling and pronunciation rules of the Kidish language. For example, Kidish words almost always follow an "ᴧ" with an "ı" or another "ᴧ". Kidish words also separate all consonants with a vowel. The city-state of Siarki's name, Ƹıᴧrlı, contradicts these rules and is thus an iushurisi; it would be spelled and pronounced "Siairiki" ("Ƹıᴧırılı") if it were consistent with the rules of the language. Additionally, "aibiaishiers" (ᴧıϫıᴧızıˈгƹ), the term used to describe the wolves before sentience (and by extension, the wolves of Earth), involves an "г" splitting an "≡", leading to difficulties in spelling and pronunciation. Canids usually look down upon iushurisi, as their difficulties cause stress and breaks in the fluidity of their speech. Canids usually view these words with a negative connotation. Trivia * Ironically, "Kidish" (Σıᴅız) is an iushurisi, as it ends in a consonant. * The word "wiki" is a valid word in Kidish (vılı) that is pronounced very similarly. It translates to "over". * The word "a" translates to "ᴧı", which is pronounced the same. * The colors "white" and "red" are homophones, each translating to "ıızı". This is because canines could not see the color red until recent advances in technology, meaning they did not have a word for "red". Usually, ıızı refers to white, while a variety of different words translate to different hues and tones of red.